The 2011 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Cardinals defeated the Rangers in seven games to win their 11th World Series championship and their second in six seasons. The Series was noted for its back-and-forth Game 6, in which the Cardinals erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning, then did it again in the 10th. In both innings, the Rangers were one strike away from their first World Series championship. The Cardinals won the game in the 11th inning on a walk-off home run by David Freese, who was named World Series MVP. The Series was also known for the blowout Game 3, in which Cardinals player Albert Pujols hit three home runs, a World Series feat previously accomplished only by Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth, and subsequently by Pablo Sandoval in 2012. In 2020, ESPN named the 2011 World Series the fifth greatest of all-time. The Series began on October 19, earlier than the previous season, so that no games would be played in November. The Cardinals enjoyed home-field advantage for the series because the NL won the 2011 All-Star Game 5–1 on July 12. The 2011 World Series was the first World Series to go all seven games since the 2002 Series. Background The Rangers were appearing in their second consecutive World Series; they lost the 2010 Series to the San Francisco Giants in five games. They were the first American League team to play in consecutive World Series since the New York Yankees did it from to . They earned their postseason berth by winning the American League West division, then defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series and the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series to earn their World Series berth. The Cardinals were appearing in their 18th World Series, and third in eight years. They lost to the Boston Red Sox in , but won in against the Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals earned their postseason berth by winning the National League Wild Card on the last day of the regular season, then defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series and the Milwaukee Brewers in